Chemodiversity, Biological Activities and Molecular Docking Studies of Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne: A Comprehensive Approach to Validate Its Medicinal Use

Studies on the Bioactivity (Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic) and Chemical Composition of Aqueous Extracts of Some Plant Species Collected from Turkmenistan

Alhagi persarum (AP), Alhagi persarum flowers (APF), Ephedra equisetina (EE) and Glycyrrhiza glabra root (GGR) have been utilized in Central Asian folk medicine for centuries. In the present study, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects the aqueous extracts of these plants were studied. In addition, 23 compounds were identified in the extracts using UHPLC-DAD-QqQ-MS/MS analysis. The four plant samples demonstrated promising antioxidant activities in vitro for scavenging of 2, 20-azinobis-(3-ethylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulphonate) radical (ABTS), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), and total reducing power. AP (DPPH: 47.39 mg TE/g; ABTS:108.58 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 117.41 mg TE/g; FRAP: 82.22 mg TE/g) and EE (DPPH: 46.75 mg TE/g; ABTS: 110.51 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 140.77 mg TE/g; FRAP: 91.00 mg TE/g) displayed the strongest antiradical and reduction abilities in the test system. In terms of enzyme inhibition efficacy, AP and EE showed higher bioactivity. Aqueous extracts demonstrated the most potent efficacy against eight different bacterial and fungal strains in antibacterial (MIC values: 1.5-4 mg/ml) and antifungal (MIC values: 1-8 mg/ml) testing. Contrary to other activities, these aqueous extracts did not show cytotoxic effects against HaCaT cells. All bioactivities suggested that the plants could be utilized as candidate resources in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Valorization of hydro-distillate of fruit peels of Citrus paradisi macfad. Cultivar. Foster: Chemical profiling, antioxidant evaluation and in vitro and in silico enzyme inhibition studies

The major commercial crops in Pakistan are citrus fruit trees, which are farmed extensively and serve as the country's principal source of foreign exchange. A local citrus plant, Citrus paradisi, variety Foster is famous for its valuable fruit and fruit juice, however, tons of peels of this fruit are thrown as waste, which otherwise can be utilized in formulating nutraceutical and cosmetics. In the present study, essential oil of fruit peels was obtained through hydro-distillation, which was then analyzed through GC-MS analysis and studied for its antioxidant and enzyme inhibition potential. GCMS analysis revealed the presence of several components; major were found to be limonene, α-terpineol, caryophyllene, δ-amorphene, elemol, γ-eudesoml, nootkatone and di-isooctyl phthalate. Although, the oil showed weak free radical inhibition, it was potentially active in CUPRAC, FRAP, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating antioxidant assays. The oil also exhibited anti-glucosidase, anti-amylase activities and also exhibited potent inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase, which makes it strong candidate for nutraceuticals and skin care products. The docking studies also substantiate our results and caryophyllene, γ-eudesoml and nootkatone showed good binding affinity α-glucosidase and α-amylase and all tested compounds showed the higher binding affinity towards the enzyme tyrosinase.

Qualitative, Quantitative, In Vitro Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Profiling of Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne Using Advanced Analytical Techniques

Leptadenia pyrotechnica Forssk. Decne (LP) is a medicinal herb from the Asclepiadaceae family with many advantageous properties. The goal of this research is to identify, quantify, and evaluate the antioxidant potential of LP to validate its remarkable therapeutic advantages. The hot soxhlet extraction method was employed to prepare different extracts of LP (stem and root). These extracts were evaluated physiochemically to check their impurity, purity, and quality; qualitatively to detect different phytochemicals; and quantitatively for phenol, saponin, tannin, flavonoid, and alkaloid contents. Then, the in vitro antioxidant potential was estimated by DPPH, NO, H2O2 scavenging assays, and MC and FRAP assays. The most prevalent phytochemicals of LP were then analysed by AAS, FT-IR, UV-visible, and GC-MS techniques. A higher extractive yield was shown by LPSE and LPRE (7.37 ± 0.11 and 5.70 ± 0.02). The LP stem showed better physicochemical and qualitative results than the root. The quantitative and in vitro antioxidant results indicated maximal phenols, tannins, and alkaloid contents in LPSE, which was further confirmed by UV-visible, FT-IR, and GC-MS results. The extraction methods (soxhlation or ultrasonication) were optimized by utilizing RSM to determine the impacts of multiple parameters. The study concluded that the plant has remarkable therapeutic advantages to promote additional clinical investigations and the mechanisms of its action.